Broom machine



July 1943- J. s. PLUMEAU .ET AL 23 9 BROOM MACHINE Filed Sept. 5, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 4055 s. PLUMEAU N5Ta a 41/4 ATTORNEY y 1943- J. s. PLUMEAU ETAL 3, 20

BROOM MACHINE Filed Sept. 5, 1941 o Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOSE/H J. HUM! -(I ATTORNEY July 6, 1943. J. S. PLUMEAU ETAL BROOM MACHINE Filed Sept. 5, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mmlll IIIIII" 3 A! Patented July 6, 1943 UNETED STAT reat rica BROOM MACHINE Joseph S. Plumeau, Bellaire, Long Island, and. Ernest C. C. Miller, Laurelton, Long Island,

13 Claims.

Our invention relates to a broom filling machine.

Mechanical sweepers of the type often employed by municipalities for sweeping and cleansing city streets usually employ a rotary broom consisting of what may be termed a broom drum having broom straws extending therefrom so as to form a generally cylindrical broom which is mounted in the sweeper and rotated as the sweeper moves along the street. The straws of the cylindrical brooms are often made of palmyra or other broom material and in some instances may even be made of metal. The abrasive action of the street surface on the broom straws is so severe that a palmyra broom with straws of an effective length of about twelve inches is worn down to the point of inefiiciency after travelling in the neighborhood of forty miles. Of course variations in the types of street surfaces, the character of the straws, and other factors affect the life of the brooms, but it is a known fact that the brooms wear quite rapidly and the broom straws therefore require frequent renewal.

The broom drum carrying the broom straws is usually in the form of a cylinder having a spiral groove therein and the straws are bent double around a cable which forces the straws at the bend down into the spiral groove and holds them securely on the broom drum. Heretofore, the refilling of such a rotary broom has entailed strenuous labor and consumed hours of toil, thus greatly adding to the expense of street cleaning.

It is an object of our invention, therefore, to provide improved means for filling brooms, particularly brooms of the rotary cylinder type heretofore described.

Another object is to provide a broom filling machine of the character indicated, which is power operated, so as to increase the speed of operations and greatly lessen the manual labor heretofore required in broom filling.

A further object is to provide a machine for broom filling which will eliminate many of the human errors heretofore encountered in broom filling and make for uniformity and excellence of product.

Another object is to provide a broom filling machine under constant accurate control of the operator at all times, and, in general, the object is to provide a broom filling machine, involving numerous features of novelty and invention, mak ing for speed of production, excellence of product, ease of operation and control, and the e1imination of much human effort.

Briefly stated, in a preferred form of the invention, we employ a frame or housing for rotatably supporting a broom drum. A cable take up means, such as a cable drum, is supported on the frame and the drums are arranged for power operation. Preferably the broom drum may be braked while a cable is being wound therefrom onto the cable drum so that the cable will be maintained taut and properly wound on the cable drum from the broom drum. Thereafter, during the filling of the broom, the cable is wound on the broom drum from the cable drum. During the filling operation, the cable drum is preferably braked so as to maintain the cable uniformly taut and the broom drum is rotated by power means so that all the operator need do is apply thebroom straws between the cable and the broom drum and control the power means which rotates the broom drum for winding the cable thereon.

In the drawings which show, for illustrative purposes only, a preferred form of the invention Fig.v 1 is a front view in elevation of a broom filling machine illustrating features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View inright-hand elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the broom drum shown in Fig. 1, taken about at the point Where the oncoming cable is engaged therewith;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken substantially in the plane of the line l-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view in front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken substantially in the plane of the line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a View in front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 88 of Fig. 1, a part of the broom drum being broken away.

In the illustrative machine shown, we employ a frame which includes base members 5-5, which may be angle irons, and upstanding side frame members 66, which may be channel members. The base members 5 and the side frame members 6 may be braced as by means of angle bracing channels 8 and may be tied together by the bottom and top tie angles 9-9.

fhe frame is provided with means for rotatably and removably supporting a broom drum to and in the preferred form carries a take-up or cable drum l l. lfhe frame at opposite sides may have ears i2-i2 (Fig. 8) each having a half bearing therein and bearing caps I3 are hinged thereto at I4 and opposite the hinge are held to the ears I2 by swing bolts and nuts I5. The cap l3 has a half bearing therein so that the ear I2 and cap 33 form a complete bearing for the oppositely extending journals Ifi-IB on the broom drum. In the particular form of broom drum shown, the outwardly projecting broom journals IBI6 may comprise a through shaft extending through end metal heads or spiders I'I carrying longitudinally extending wood strips I8 secured thereon as by means of bolts I9I9 shown in Fig. 8. The wood sections IB-I8 preferably present a cylindrical outer surface which is provided with a spiral groove for receiving the cable which forces broom straws down into the groove and holds the straws securely on the broom drum.

The broom drum in the preferred form is power driven. The particular mechanism illustrated for rotating the broom drum includes a motor such as a hydraulic motor 2|, which may drive a worm 22 meshing with and serving to turn a worm wheel 23 in the housing 24. The worm wheel is journaled in the housing, which in turn is secured to the main frame and is arranged to be clutched to the broom drum. In the form shown the shaft of the worm wheel 23 carries a splined ring or gear 25 (Fig. 6) and a clutch slide 26 having corresponding clutch splines or teeth thereon is slidable on the member 25. A driven clutch member 21 is provided with splines or teeth to be engaged by the sliding clutch member 26, whereby the driven clutch member 2'! will be driven, as will be understood. The driven clutch member in the form shown is engageable with the journal I5 of the broom drum. The journal I6 has a taper end 28, which fits in a taper bore in the sleeve 29 forming part of or secured to the driven clutch member 21. A nut 30 screwed on the threaded turned-down end of the journal I6, may be turned up so as to securely and non-rotatably hold the journal member IS in the driven clutch member 21. The sliding clutch member 26 may be moved to its chucked position shown in Figs. 6 and '7 and to its disengaged or extreme right-hand position by suitable means such as a clutch shipper 3I.

For a purpose to be described more fully, we provide a brake for braking or resisting rotation of the broom drum when the clutch is disengaged and. the broom drum is freed of the power driving mechanism just described. In the form shown, the driven clutch member 2'! embodies a brake drum 32, which is engaged by braking means such as a divided brake band 33 held on the frame of the machine as by means of a pin 34. The ends of the brake band may be drawn together to forcibly engage the drum 32 by means such as a bolt 35 and wedging handle member 35, as will be understood. The braking force may be adjusted as by means of a nut 31 threaded on the bolt 35. It should be mentioned here that when the brake 33 is in released position, the brake drum 32 and the parts connected therewith may all be removed With the broom drum journal I6 and the nut 30 disengaged so as to permit the journal I6 to be freed from the driven clutch member. That member may then be applied to the journal of the next broom drum, the nut 30 reapplied, and the brake drum 32 again slipped into the position shown in Fig. 6, and the journals It may be held in the journal bearings on the frame.

As has been indicated above, we employ a cable take-up or tensioning means for holding the projecting from the valve casing 6| cable which is wound onto the broom drum in the course of the filling operation. The cable take-up means in the machine illustrated is in the form of a cable drum I I, as heretofore noted. The cable drum is preferably power rotated to wind the cable thereon and is preferably braked to tension the cable as the cable is drawn therefrom and wound on the broom drum. The cable drum I I is journaled in the frame members 6-6 as is indicated at 40 in Fig. 4. The shaft of the cable drum I I, in the form shown, carries a brake drum 4!, which is engageable by a brake band 42 held to the frame as by means of a pin 43. The ends of the brake band 42 may be drawn together for applying the braking force by means of a bolt 44 and wedging handle 45 of a type well understood. The braking force may be regulated by adjustment of the nut 46 on the tensioning bolt 44. Thus, when the brake is applied to the cable brake drum 4|, the cable being wound on the broom drum will be maintained uniformly taut.

As stated, it is preferred to employ power means for winding the cable onto the cable drum, and in the form illustrated we employ the same power means, such as the hydraulic motor 2|, which is employed for rotating the broom drum. The shaft of the broom worm 22 may be extended preferably through a shaft 47 and one or more universal joints into an upper housing 48. The shaft in the housing 48 may carry a worm 49 for rotating a worm wheel 50 journaled in the gear casing 48. In the machine illustrated, the shaft of the worm 56 carries a driving clutch member 5i having internal clutch teeth or splines 52. The end of the cable drum shaft is preferably extended into the driving clutch member SI and is journaled therein on an anti-friction bearing 53 so as t maintain proper alinement of the parts. A driven clutch member 54 having teeth or splines 55 for engagement with the driven splines 52 is slidably carried on the splined end 56 of the cable drum journal. The sliding clutch member 54 may be moved to its unclutched posi tion, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or into its extreme right-hand or clutched position by means of a suitable clutch shipper 51. drum I I ma be clutched to the power means for rotation of the cable drum and may be readily unclutchedor disengaged therefrom. The cable drum brake may be released while the cable drum is being rotated by the power means and the brake may be applied when the cable drum is disengaged from its driving means.

In the preferred form of machine employing a hydraulic motor for rotating the broom drum and preferably also the cable drum, the motor operated only when one or the other of the drums is to be rotated, and the control of the rotation is preferably through control of the motor rather than through clutching and unclutching the drums therefrom. With a different type of power means, say, a constantly rotating type, the control of the drum rotation would be by means of a clutch rather than by control of the power means. hydraulic pressure and exhaust lines 60 lead to the rotary hydraulic motor, which may be a gear or other type motor, through a well known type of valve means EI having a control valve 62 The valving arrangement is such that when the valve 62 is in its lowermost position a shown in Figs.- 1 and 2, the motor will be stopped and when the valve 62 is moved to a raised position, the hydraulic fluid will be controlled so as to actuate Thus, the cable I In the form illustrated the ,r

the motor. The speed of actuation may be determined by the extent to which the valve 62 is raised. The action of the hydraulic motor'is under convenient manual control of the operator, as through the medium of a treadle 53 extending across the front of the machine, The treadle is pivoted at 64 to the frame of the machine and its free end may be provided with a roller 65 for engagement with the head of the valve 82. The hydraulic pressure and exhaust connections are but illustratively shown in the drawings. The hydraulic pressure may be de rived from any suitable source; for example, a motor driven hydraulic pump or pressure generator may be employed. Such a pump or pressure generator may serve one or more broom filling machines. Since such pressure generating means form no part of our present invention, illustration thereof has been omitted.

The operation of the machine in filling a broom may be as follows:

We shall assume that a worn out broom is to be refilled. The broom drum, as heretofore indicated, has projecting journals H5. The broom drum clutch 25 is moved to its extreme righthand or disengaged position by means of the clutch shipper 3i and the broom drum brake 33 is released by moving the brake shipper or handle 36 to releasing position, The driven clutch member 2'? carrying the brake drum 32 is re moved and applied to the taperedend of the journal and secured therein by means of a nut, as shown in Fig. 6. The frame bearing caps l3i3 are opened and the broom drum. now

carrying the driven clutch member 27 and brake drum 32 is placed in position on the frame. It will be understood that the brake band 33 is sufiiciently loose to permit ready insertion of the brake drum just before or while the journals l are being placed in the frame bearings. The bearing cap it are then closed down on the journal ii and the swing bolts swunginto place and tightened so as to securely hold the broom drum on the frame.

The cable at the left-hand end of the broom drum is then disengaged therefrom and attached to the flexible member, such as a chain. it secured to the cable drum, and of a length sufficient to easily reach the broom drum. The broom drum brake 33 is then manually applied by operating the handle 36. The cable brake drum clutch 26 is shifted to its extreme righthand or disengaged position by mean of the clutch shipper 31. The cable drum brake 82 is released by operation of the brake handle 45 i and the cable drum clutch 5A is moved to its right-hand or clutched position by means of the clutch shipper 5'1. The hydraulic motor 2! is then put in operation by depression of the treadle 63 and as the hydraulic motor operates, the cable drum will be rotated in a direction to wind the chain it and the cable onto the cable drum H, as shown in Fig. 1. During the winding of the cable from the broom drum onto the cable drum, the broom drum is braked as heretofore noted, so as to maintain tension on the cable so that it will be tightly and properly wound on the cable drum.

When the cable has been unwound from the broom drum up to the end of the spiral convolu-- ticn at the right side thereof, the hydraulic motor is stopped and the cable drum brake 32 is set by the handle 45 and the cable drum clutch 5 is disengaged. Then the broom drum clutch 25 is moved to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 6,

that is, to the position to clutch the broom drum to the hydraulic motor and the broom drum brake 33 is thenreleased by actuating the handle 35. Since. the broom drum worm and gear are of such proportions as to be substantially irreversible, the cable will now remain taut, due to the fact that the cable drum is braked and the broom drum is coupled to the power drive means. i

. The operator then takes a handful of the broom straws, passes them in the rear of the cable and into the narrowin throat between the broom drumv and the cable to be wound thereon. The broom straws arethen bent substantially in the middle and distributed to some extent by the operator along the cable or along the groove, and the operator then steps on the treadle 63 so as'to set the power means in operation. The broom drum is then rotated a fraction of a turn, that is, until the handful of broom straws is secured to the broom drum, by haVing the middle portions forced down into the spiral groove 20 and securely held therein by the cable. Then another handful of broom straws is applied in the same manner and that procedure repeated until the broom has been completely filled.

. While the cable forces the central portion of the broom straws down into the groove and the groove and cable tend together to maintain the broom straws in generally U-shaped formation, it will be understood that the broom straws will tend to flare outwardly into generally V-shaped form andthe broom straws of prior laid convolutions will oftentimes interfere with the operators hands in applying new handsful of broom straws, We have therefore devised means for holding the broom straws of prior laid convolutions back out of the way of the operator so that straws. Such a guard or guide 15 is preferably,

moved along as the operator works. In the form shown the guard 15 is attached to or forms part of a supporting bar Hi which may be slidably supported at the top, for example, by having a U-bent bearing portion l7 slidably supported on the cable drum H. The bottom of the support I1 mayrest against the back of the broom drum, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the support 16 may carry an arcuate feed finger or bar 18 which rides in the spiral groove 26. Thus, when the broom drum is is rotated, the feeding finger l8 will feed the support 76 and guard 15. along the drum so as to always maintain a clear space for the operator in applying the broom straws.

When the broom drum has been filled, the end of the cable will extend down to the broom drum, that extension of the cable being permitted by the flexible member or chain 73 to which the cable is attached. The end of the cable is then secured to the left end of the broom drum as by means of a lag screw, staple, or other means, for example as shown at the right-hand side of the drum in Fig. l, and the broom is then complete. The filled broom drum is then removed, as heretofore indicated, by opening up the frame bearing caps l3 and lifting out the broom and at the same time withdrawing the brake drum 32 and attached parts so that the latter may be removed from the broom drum and applied to the journal of the next broom drum which is to be filled.

We have described the operation of removing the cable from a used broom drum and winding upon the cable drum. It is to be understood, of course, that the cable from the used broom may be removed before th broom drum is set in place and it may be wound on a cable drum or held by other take-up means wholly independently of the used broom drum. However, the Procedure outlined above is advantageous in that a cable if unwound directly from the broom drum will be properly laid in spiral fashion along the cable drum and will feed out properly upon rotation of the broom drum during the filling operation.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail as embodied in a machine which has proven highly satisfactory in use, it is to be understood that many modifications and changes may be made and various procedures followed, all within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a machine of the character indicated, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum, a cable drum, power means for rotating said cable drum for winding a cable thereon, constant pressure friction means for resisting rotation of said cable drum when a cable wound on the broom drum from said cable drum unwinds from said cable drum, whereby the cable being wound on the broom drum will be maintained taut.

2. In a machine of the character indicated, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum, a

cable drum, power means for rotating said cable drum for winding a cable thereon, clutch means between said power means and said cable drum for causing engagement and disengagement of said cable drum and power means, and constant pressure friction braking means for resisting rotation of said cable drum in a direction to unwind said cable whereby when a cable wound on said cable drum is unwound therefrom and wound on the broom drum the tautness of the cable will be controlled by said constant pressure friction braking means.

3. In a machine of the character indicated, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum, constant pressure braking means for resisting rotation of the broom drum when a cable thereon is unwound therefrom, whereby the cable will be maintained taut, means for rotating said broom drum in a direction to rewind the cable thereon, and manual means for releasing said braking means at will.

4. In a machine of the character indicated, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum, power means for rotating said broom drum in one direction, constant pressure braking means for resisting rotation of said broom drum in the other direction, and means for controlling the engagement between said power means and said broom drum, all for the purpose described.

5. In a machine of the character indicated, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum, a cable drum, power means for rotating said cable drum in one direction for winding a cable thereon, constant pressure braking means for resisting rotation of said cable drum in the opposite direction, means for controlling the engagement between said power means and said cable drum, and power means for rotating said broom drum in a direction to wind cable from said cable drum onto the broom drum.

6. In a machine of the character indicated,

means for rotatably supporting a broom drum, a cable drum, power means for selectively rotating both of said drums, means for controlling the connection between said power means and both of said drums, and constant pressure braking means for resisting rotation of said drums, for the purpose described.

'7. In a machine of the character indicated, a frame for rotatably supporting a broom drum, a cable drum rotatably supported upon said frame, a common power means for selectively rotating both of said drums, manual clutch means for selectively controlling the connection between said common power means and each of said drums, and constant pressure braking means for tensioning a cable unwound from said cable drum onto said broom drum.

8. In a machine of the character indicated, a frame for rotatably supporting a broom drum, a cable drum rotatably supported thereon, a common power means for selectively rotating both of said drums, manual clutch means for selectively controlling the connections between said power means and each of said drums, and constant pressure braking means for tensioning a cable unwound from said broom drum onto said cable drum.

9. In a machine of the character indicated, a frame, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum thereon, a cable drum supported thereon, power means for selectively rotating both of said drums, manual means for controlling engagement of said power means with each of said drums whereby one drum may be engaged with said power means for rotation thereby while the other drum is disengaged from said power means, a constant pressure braking means for each of said drums for resisting rotation thereof, and manual means for selectively controlling said braking means, whereby one of said drums may be braked while the other is free of said braking means, for the purpose described.

10. In a machine of the character indicated, a frame, means thereon for rotatably supporting a broom drum having a spiral groove thereon for receiving a cable for holding broom straws on said drum, a cable drum supported parallel to said broom drum whereby upon rotation of said cable drum a cable may be wound thereon from said broom drum and upon rotation of said broom drum in one direction the cable may be wound thereon from said cable drum, power means, manual means for selectively connecting said power means for rotating either of said drums at will, constant pressure braking means, and means for controlling said braking means for selectively braking either of said drums at will, for the purpose described.

11. In a machine of the character indicated, a frame, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum thereon which has a spiral groove therein for receiving a cable for holding broom straws on said drum, cable tensioning means for tensioning a cable wound on said drum upon rotation thereof, and guard means having a part engageable in said spiral groove and movable thereby upon rotation of said broom drum, said guard means having a part for holding broom straws already secured to said drum by said cabl in an out of the way position While other.

broom straws are applied to said broom drum.

12. In a machine of the character indicated, a frame for rotatably supporting a broom drum, a cable drum supported substantially parallel thereto, means for rotating said cable drum for winding a cable thereon from said broom drum, means for braking said broom drum to maintain the cable taut while being wound on said cable drum, a flexible member of a length to reach from said cable drum to said broom drum wound on said cable drum and secured to the end of the cable, whereby the end of the cable on said cable drum may extend to said broom drum and be secured thereto, and means for maintaining the tension of the cable when being wound on said broom drum from said cable drum.

13. In a machine of the character indicated, a frame, means for rotatably supporting a broom drum thereon, a cable drum supported on said frame, constant pressure braking means for braking each of said drums for resisting rotation thereof, power means for rotating each of said drums, manually operable clutch means for selectively clutching said drums to said power means, hydraulic motor means for actuating said power means, valve means for controlling the actuation of said hydraulic motor means, a foot treadle for controlling said valve means, and guard means engageable with said broom drum for holding broom straws already applied to the broom drum in an out of the way position while other broom straws are applied thereto. JOSEPH S. PLUMEAU. ERNEST C. C. MILLER. 

